NEW YORK - Central Michigan University's online program to train charter school leaders is drawing interest from students and prospective employers alike, according to a report in The New York Times.
The article discussed new types of jobs for educators, among them running charter schools, directing school turnaround efforts and establishing nonprofit education ventures. CMU's program attracts people looking for high-level training and scheduling flexibility, according to The Times.
The Times reported that one student in CMU's program is Patrick Kissel, 44, a retired Army master sergeant who is taking classes while also continuing his job as chief of business operations at the Letterkenny Army Depot in Pennsylvania.
Kissel already has been contacted by a charter school group in Canada about working there after he graduates in 2011, The Times reported.
Elsewhere, the Harvard Graduate School of Education now operates a tuition-free doctoral program in education leadership designed to apply business and public policy principles to school improvement, The Times reported. One reason for the new interest in education is the amount of federal dollars flowing into the sector, the report said.
SOURCE:
The New York Times, "Skills to fix failing schools," Jan. 3, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Education reform passes," Dec. 21, 2009
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